Group Restricted Regions Request

If you are requesting approval to take a group to a Restricted Region, your sponsoring or hosting department Chair/Unit Head and Dean/VP both must review and sign your requests. The Dean/VP may delegate this responsibility to another individual in the same office, but whoever assumes this authority must complete IOC training. UT's list of current Deans and Chairs can be found here.

Submit Request to IOC

The program or travel organizer must submit a complete request form, with all the appropriate signatures, to the IOC at IOC@austin.utexas.edu. All forms must be typed. You will need Adobe Reader to access the forms. (Mac users may encounter problems with Preview.) Download the current version of Adobe Reader here.

Submitting a request to the IOC does not guarantee approval to conduct a program in a Restricted Region, so program organizers should not purchase any travel or announce, market, or distribute promotional materials about it without final IOC approval. Failure to allow sufficient time for IOC review may result in a denied application and/or delayed start date for travel.

In some cases, the IOC may decide to issue a "preliminary approval," which will let you move forward with planning and promoting the activity. You are then responsible for contacting the IOC 6-8 weeks before the program start date to request "final approval." The IOC will review the request once again, in light of any change in circumstances or security climate since the preliminary approval.

Whenever there is unforeseen, last-minute travel that does not allow for requests to be submitted according to the stated IOC deadlines, you should include a statement specifically addressing the circumstances of the unanticipated trip, in addition to your formal request. These late requests cannot be guaranteed a decision prior to the proposed departure date and may result in a denied application and/or delayed start date for travel.